Yesterday's 4-2 win over Croatia was everything England fans wanted. Tonight, in Boston, they find out if it was a statement or a fluke.
Yesterday's Results
England 4-2 Croatia — Group L
This one had everything: a missed penalty, a comeback, a second-half surge, and a finishing touch from a substitute. England went ahead early through Harry Kane — from a retaken spot kick after his first attempt was saved by Dominik Livakovic — but Croatia hit back through Martin Baturina and Petar Musa to make it 2-2 at the break. The second half belonged entirely to England. Jude Bellingham tilted the game with a storming run and finish, and Marcus Rashford sealed it with a clinical low shot after coming off the bench. The Guardian's match report captures the chaos of the first half and the authority of the second perfectly. Kane's brace drew him level with Gary Lineker's England World Cup scoring record, and England top Group L with three points. Croatia, meanwhile, have no room for error.
Today's Fixtures
England vs. Ghana — Group L — 20:00 local (Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts)
The only match on the schedule today, and it carries real weight. England are looking to go six points from six and effectively wrap up Group L qualification before the Panama finale; Ghana, ranked 74th in the world but with several Premier League-quality players capable of causing problems, need a result to stay alive. The specific thing to watch: which winger starts on the right for England. Tuchel has confirmed that Bukayo Saka — managing an Achilles issue that limited him to a late cameo against Croatia — is unlikely to start, which means Noni Madueke is set to keep his place. Madueke was England's brightest threat in the first half against Croatia, winning the penalty that opened the scoring, and this is his chance to prove that performance was no accident. On the other flank, the Anthony Gordon vs. Marcus Rashford question is genuinely open after Rashford's goal off the bench. Tuchel has called all four of his wide options "at the highest level" — but only two can start.
There's also a historical pattern worth noting. England drew their second group game at Euro 2020, the 2022 World Cup, and Euro 2024 — 0-0 each time. Tuchel has spoken all week about the need to maintain the intensity that defined the second half against Croatia. Tonight is where that talk gets tested.
Around the Tournament
The Saka question. Thomas Tuchel confirmed after the Croatia win that Bukayo Saka is being carefully managed through an Achilles problem and is unlikely to start against Ghana, with the final group game against Panama identified as the moment to unleash him from the beginning. Sky Sports has the full detail on Tuchel's thinking, including his praise for Madueke's debut performance and his admission that the winger competition has given him genuine selection headaches.
England's "finishers" are a real weapon. The Croatia win raised an interesting tactical question: is England's bench actually their best attacking unit? Rashford's goal, Saka's energy in the final minutes, and the general quality of what Tuchel can bring on late has prompted serious analysis of whether the substitutes might matter more than the starters this summer. Goal.com's breakdown of the Gordon-Rashford dilemma is worth a read before tonight's game — it gets into the specific roles each player fills and why the depth is genuinely unusual for an England squad.
England's second-game curse. The Independent flags a pattern that Tuchel will be very aware of: England have drawn their second game at each of the last three major tournaments, going 0-0 against Scotland, USA, and Slovenia in succession. The piece frames tonight as the moment Tuchel's England either breaks that habit or repeats it — and notes that the intensity of their Kansas City training sessions this week has been a deliberate attempt to avoid exactly that kind of flat performance.
Tonight is a one-game day, which means every eye in the soccer world is on Foxborough. Madueke has one half of a World Cup match to his name and a chance to make it two. Whether he — and England — can sustain what they started against Croatia is the only question that matters right now.